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Why You Should Not Use The Same External Drive For Backup And Storage

Posted on Aug, 19, 2017

Technically speaking there is no reason why the same drive cannot be used for the storage purpose as well as backup. But doing so is a bad idea because there are issues, which arise because of this problem. There are many issues. First, we need to understand the issues with backup.There should not be one copy of the backup.

Another issue is the backup computer needs to be plugged in at the time of restoration of the data and also at the time when the data is getting backed up. This is simply for the reason that burglary; flood or malware, which destroys the internal drive, can also lead to the destruction of the backup.The internal storage sixe must be large enough for all the internal files. If not, the following options need to be considered.

ASecondInternalDriveShouldbeInstalled

The overflow files are kept in the external drive. The backup for both the internal drives are to be kept in the external drive.

ChooseaBiggerInternalDrive

This solves the drive bay problem in a fast and efficient manner. But the setting up takes time.

TwoExternalDrivesaretobeUsed

One external drive is kept aside for backup and the other for the overflow files. This is the best option in such situations, when we are nervous to use internal drives or Windows tablet not allowing the up gradation of internal drive.

ExternalHardDriveusedforBackup

There are some places where we can backup our data so that a safe retrieval is done in the event of data loss.The first option is the external drive, which can be plugged in with the laptop through a USB port. The data is exported to the external hard drive. Many of them come with software for backup. Backing up can be done by the drag and drop facility. Once the data is saved on the hard disk then the data is safe, even when the hard disk crashes.

Another option, which is gaining much popularity, is the Cloud Storage. This is backing up data online in a virtual location. There are many cloud storage sites in the web. These sites are provided with security measures for storing all the vital information. But, it needs lot of caution to handle the hacking and the security breaches.

CD or DVDs, or flash drives can also be used as backup options. The DVDs generally handle data storage seven times more than the CDs. The data on the Flash drives can be rewritten. But, larger flash drives are costly.

With the crash of the hard drive, chances are that some of the data is lost. But, a proactive stance always limits the amount of damage. One can afford to lose a few files rather than the whole life’s work. Fire safe or safety deposit boxes can lock the backups, when we use the removable media, but this is not possible with the cloud storage.